Method and apparatus for knitting pile fabric



June 25, 1957 s. MISHCON 2,796,751

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR KNITTING FILE FABRIC Filed May 5, 1955 a a a /6 40 =o=i & K ,4 46

- KHZ INVENTOR. SAMUEL. M ISHCON m4, da -MM ATTORNEY States Samuel Mishcon, Belle Harbor, N. Y., assignor to Supreme Knitting Machine Co., inc Richmond Hill, N. Y., a corporation Application May 5, 1955, Serial No. 506,110

Claims. (Cl. 66-93) This invention relates to the knitting of pile fabrics on a circular knitting multi-feed machine and, more particularly, to a novel method and apparatus therefor by means of which the desired pile or loop height can be readily changed on individual feeds by merely adjusting operating cams for loop drawing jacks or needles.

The object of the invention method and apparatus is to produce a knitted pile fabric having loops of a uniform preselected height on the pile side and having a clean back, the loop height being readily and easily varied as desired.

Prior art arrangements for knitting pile fabric have been limited as to loop height due to limitations in the sinkers and loops used to form the pile loops. Also, it has been a time consuming and costly operation to change the machine elements to change the loop height. Another disadvantage has been that the back of the pile fabric has not been clean as, due to the manner in which the loops have been formed, they have been partially pushed or pulled through the back of the fabric.

In accordance with the present invention, a pile fabric is formed with loops of preselected length and in which the loop length can be readily, quickly and easily changed by merely adjusting operating cams for loop drawing jacks or needles. In addition the backing of the fabric, or the side opposite the loops, is exceptionally clean and uniform.

More specifically, the loops are formed by drawing the looping yarn radially between the shanks of selected raised cylinder needles and holding the drawn loops taut until the cylinder needles have been drawn down, with the regular backing or knitting yarn in their hooks, to cast off the finished stitches and lock the pile loops in position. The drawn pile loops are thereafter released while the knitting and pile forming sequence is repeated.

Preferably, the pile fabric is formed on a circular knitting multi-feed machine by using a dial rotatable with the needle cylinder at a level slightly above the upper end of the cylinder. This dial is formed with radial slots in its upper surface, and its outer periphery is spaced substantially (at least /-t") from the cylinder needles. Looping elements or jacks are reciprocably mounted in the slots, and may comprise needles having hooks at their outer ends and camming butts intermediate their ends.

Interchangeable fixed cam means are provided to project, hold, and retract the loop jacks at selected intervals. As a first latch knitting needle rises to move a loop out of its hook onto its shank, a loop jack is advanced toward a sinker to hook onto a fed loop yarn. The loop yarn may be fed to a position just outside the cylinder needles. As the first knitting needle continues to rise to catch the fed knitting yarn in its hook, the looping jack catches the looping yarn and is cammed inwardly to draw the looping yarn around the shank of the cylinder needle. The drawn loop is held taut by the looping jack'as the cylinder needle moves down to pull a' atent 1% 2,796,751 Patented June 25,1957

new knitting yarn loop through the previously formed loop on its shank and cast ofi such shank loop. The

drawn pile loop is released after it is locked in place by the formedstitch.

By the proper use of pattern wheels and proper selection of loop jack earns, the pile loops can be formed in any sequence; such as between adjacent needles, between alternate needles, etc. The length of the loops is readily changed by merely adjusting the loop jack cams, a simple and relatively fast procedure.

Alternatively, the pile fabric can be formed by mounting the latch knitting needles in the dial and the loop jacks in the cylinder.

For an understanding of the invention principles, reference is made to the followingdescriptions of typical embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic development of a circular knitting machine for implementing the invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial vertical sectional view of the machine; and

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the machine.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus for practicing the method of the invention is illustrated as incorporated in a circular knitting machine of the type having a rotary needle cylinder 10 formed with vertical slots 11, in its outer periphery, in which are reciprocably mounted latch knitting needles 15.

In the knitting operation, needles 15 are moved by cylinder 10 past fixed position cams which effect a preselected series of inter-related movements of the needles relative to one or more fed knitting yarns. The movements of needles 15 may be further controlled by pattern wheels 21, mounted on each section of the machine, the operation of such pattern wheels being well known, to those skilled in the art, as effecting a predetermined pattern in the finished cloth or fabric.

Each needle has a shank 12, preferably flattened, formed with a butt 13 for engagement with the needle operating cams and the pattern wheels 21. At its upper end, each needle has a hook 14 cooperable with a latch 16 pivoted on shank 12 below the hook, latch 16 preferably having an enlarged head or spoon 17.

Each set of needle operating cams and pattern wheels is adjustably mounted on a conventional section block. The butts 13 of needles 15 are first engaged by a raising cam 31 which raises the needles to a pre-set level. Further raising of the needles 15 is controlled by pattern wheel 21. This pattern wheel is rotatable on an axis normal to the surface of cam 31 and has peripheral, perpendicular slots engaged successively by butts 13 to rotate wheel 21. The slots selectively contain jacks which may raise needles 15 to any one of three positions termed the latch clearing, tuck, and welt positions.

'Leav-ing pattern wheel 21, needles 15 pass a retracting wing cam 32 which pulls down those needles raised only to the lowermost or weltposition, which is a non-knitting or miss position. The fbutts of those needles 15 raised by pattern Wheel 21 to the latch clearing or tuck positions pass horizontally a'bove cam 32 and later engage stitch cam .33 which engages butts 13 to pull the needles down to the cast-off position to clear a stitch from the needle. Cams 31 and 32, and pattern wheels 21 employing jack elements, are fully described in U. S. Patents Nos. 2,006,821 and 2,055,598.

As needles 15 are raised, through the loops formed thereon, the loops on the blade portion of the needles, being held by completed fabric 35, move down the needles, opening latch 16., If a needle is raised to the latch clearing posit-ion, the loop moves completely off the latch 16 and onto the blade portion of the needle. 1

As the needle continues to rise, its open hook 14 engages knitting yarn fed through feeding device 41. When stitch cam 33 pulls the needle downwardly, the completed loop on the shank 12 closes latch 16 on the new loop. 7 The previous loop is then cast oif over the closed hook of the needle to complete the stitch. It should be noted that, before the pile loop has been thus cast over the closed hook of the needle, the new thread '40 has been fed into the needle hook, thereby causing the cast off pile loop to suspend itself from the wales just formed.

In accordance with the invention, a pile fabric is formed by drawing pile loops horizontally radially between selected needles 15 and holding the loops taut until after a stitch has been completed to lock the loops in place. The pile loops are interlocked between the wales of the fabric and .are suspended therefrom. Loops 45 are drawn from a looping yarn 46 fed through a feeding device 4.7 to a position substantially at the general level of the upper end of cylinder 10.

A particular arrangement for drawing loops 45 is illustrated as comprising a dial 50 rotatable with cylinder 19. Dial 50 may be mounted on top of cylinder 10. This dial is formed with radial slots 51 in which are reciprocably mounted loop jacks These jacks, which re semble knitting needles 15, have flattened shanks 52 formed with upwardly projecting butts 53 and open (nonlatch) hooks 54 at their outer ends. Butts 13 are cooperable with fixed rising cam 69 and stitch or retracting cam 65. Cam 6% has a jack projecting surface 61 and a forward rest surface 62. Cam 65 has a jack retracting surface as and a rearward or inward rest surface 67. In order to selectively move loop jacks 55, a combination of cams and pattern wheel, similar to those shown in Fig. l as cams 31, 32 and pattern wheel 21, can be mounted on the machine (not shown) to select the loop jacks 55.

As needles 15 begin to rise, the butts 53 of jacks 55 engage surface 61 of cam and are moved outwardly so that their hooks 54 engage loop yarn 46. Butts 53 then ride along rest surface 62. As needles 15 are raised to the latch clearing position, jacks 55 .are retracted, by butts 53 riding along surface 66 of cam 65, drawing loops 45 inwardly between selected needles 15 and holding the loops taut as butts 53 ride along inner rest surface 67 of cam 65. The loops are held taut as needles 15 are retracted to the cast-oil position to complete a stitch and lock a loop 45 in place. As the needles reach the next section, jacks 55 are projected to release the pile loops.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 3 it will be noted that loops 45 are formed between alternate needles l5 raised to the stitch position, the intermediate needles 15 being raised only to the Welt position. This sequence may varied as desired. The loops 45 are formed between the needle line and the retracted position of'jacks 55. The length of the loops can be readily altered by adjustment of cams 60 and or replacement thereof. Also, loops of diiferent length can be formed on each section, or one section can form pile loops and another section merely knit the backing fabric.

The operation of jacks 55 may be varied to vary the pile pattern by using pattern wheels on the jack operating cams to advance only selected jacks 55 to the loop yarn drawing position to form loops, the other jacks 55 not so advanced by the pattern wheels consequently not forming loops. Such pattern wheels would operate jacks 55 in the same general manner that pattern wheels 21 control the projection of needles 15.

While the fabric has been described as formed solely by latch knitting needles 15 and jacks 55, it can just as readily be formed on a sinker top machine having radially movable sinkers mounted in a sinker dial or ring and cooperating with needles 15 in knitting the backing fabric from yarn 49. a

While a specific embodiment of the invention-has been shown and described in detailto illustrate the application of the invention principles, it will be understood that the invention maybe embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of knitting loop pile fabric upon needles movable independently between latch clearing and castoff positions, comprising the steps of feeding a knitting yarn to the needles as they are successively moved to the latch clearing position; successively engaging the hook of each needle with the knitting yarn to draw a loop thereof through a previous loop on the needle as the needle is moved to the castoff position; drawing a fed loop pile yarn between and substantially normal to the shanks of selected needles in the latch clearing position to form pile loops extending normal to the needles; holding said pile loops taut while moving the needles successively to the castoff position to anchor the pile loops to the backing fabric; and releasing the pile loops after the associated needles reach the castoff position.

2. A method of knitting loop pile fabric upon needles movable independently between a castoff position and either a welt or a latch clearing position, comprising the steps of successively moving alternate needles to the latch clearing position and intermediate needles to the welt position; feeding a knitting yarn to the alternate needles as they are successively moved to the latch clearing position; successively engaging the hook of each alternate needle with the knitting yarn to draw a loop thereof through a previous loop on the needle as the needle is moved to the castofi position; drawing a fed loop pile yarn between and substantially normal to the shanks of adjacent alternate needles in the latch clearing position to form pile loops extending normal to the needles; holding said pile loops taut while moving the needles suc-. cessively to the castoff position to anchor the pile loops to the backing fabric; and releasing the pile loops after the associated alternate needles reach the castoff position.

3. A method of knitting loop pile fabric upon needles movable independently in a needle cylinder between latch clearing and castoif' positions, comprising the steps of feeding a knitting yarn to the needles as they are successively moved to the latch clearing position; successively engaging the hook ofeach needle with the knitting yarn to draw a loop thereof through a previous loop on the needle as the needle is moved to the castoif position; drawing a fed loop pile yarn radially between the shanks of selected needles in the latch clearing position to form pile loops extending radially of the cylinder; holding said pile loops taut while moving the needles successively to the castoff position to anchor the pile loops to the backing fabric; and releasing the pile loops after'the associated needles reach the castoff position.

4. A method of knitting loop pile fabric upon needles movable independently in a needle cylinder between a castoif position and either a welt or a latch clearing position, comprising the steps of successively moving alternate needles to the latch clearing position and intermediate needles to the welt position; feeding aknitting yarn to the alternate needles as they are successively moved to the latch clearing position; successively engaging thehook of each alternate needle with the knitting yarn to draw a loop thereof through a previous loop on the needle as the needle is moved to the castofi position;'drawing a fed loop pile yarn radially between the shanks of adjacent alternate needles in the latch clearing position to form pile loops extending radially of the cylinder; holding said pile loops taut while moving the needles successively to the castotf position to anchor the pile loops to the backing fabric; and releasing the pile loops after the associated alternate needles reach the castoff position. 1

5. A method of knitting loop pile fabric upon needles movable independently in a needle cylinder between latch clearing and castotf positions, comprising the steps of feeding a knitting yarn to the needles as they are suc cessively moved to the latch clearing position; successively engaging the hook of each needle with the knitting yarn to draw a loop thereof through a previous loop on the needle as the needle is moved to the castoff position; drawing a fed loop pile yarn radially inwardly between the shanks of selected needles in the latch clearing position to form pile loops extending radially of the cylinder; holding said pile loops taut while moving the needles successively to the castoff position to anchor the pile loops to the backing fabric; and releasing the pile loops after the associated needles reach the castoff position.

6. A method of knitting loop pile fabric upon needles movable independently in a needle cylinder between latch clearing and castoff positions, comprising the steps of feeding a knitting yarn to the needles as they are successively moved to the latch clearing position; successively engaging the hook of each needle with the knitting yarn to draw a loop thereof through a previous loop on the needle as the needle is moved to the castotf position; drawing a fed loop pile yarn radially inwardly between the shanks of selected needles to form pile loops extending radially of the cylinder; holding said pile loops taut while moving the needles successively to the castofi position to anchor the pile loops to the backing fabric; and releasing the pile loops after the associated needles reach the castofi position.

7. Apparatus for knitting pile fabric comprising, in combination, a rotatable needle cylinder; latch knitting needles mounted for independent movement longitudinally of said cylinder; relatively fixed cam means operable to move said needles successively between latch clearing and castofi positions; means for feeding a knitting yarn to the needles as they are successively moved to the latch clearing position for successively engaging the hook of each needle with the knitting yarn to draw a loop thereof through a previous loop on the needle as the needle is moved to the castoif position; means operable to feed a loop pile yarn to a position adjacent said needles; ele-* ments operable to engage said loop pile yarn and draw the same between and substantially normal to the shanks of adjacent needles in the latch clearing position to form pile loops extending normal to the needles; said elements holding said pile loops taut as the needles are moved successively to the castolf position to anchor the pile loops to the backing fabric, and releasing the pile loops after the associated needles reach the castofi position.

8. Apparatus for knitting pile fabric comprising, in combination, a rotatable needle cylinder; latch knitting needles mounted for independent movement longitudinally of said cylinder; relativ ly fixed cam means operable to move said needles successively between latch clearing and castofi positions; means for feeding a knitting yarn to the needles as they are successively moved to the latch clearing position for successively engaging the hook of each needle with the knitting yarn to draw a loop thereof through a previous loop on the needle as the needle is moved to the castoff position; means operable to feed a loop pile yarn to a position adjacent said needles; elements mounted for reciprocating between and normal to needles in the latch clearing position; cam means for reciprocating said elements to engage said loop pile yarn and draw the same between and substantially normal to the shanks of selected needles in the latch clearing position; said last named cam means holding said elements to hold said pile loops taut as the needles are moved successively to the castofi position to anchor the pile loops to the backing fabric, and moving said elements to release the pile loops after the associated needles reach the castoff position.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 in which said last named cam means are adjustable to vary the length of the pile loops.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 in which said elements are reciprocable radially of said cylinder.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 in which said elements are reciprocable radially of said cylinder and outwardly thereof between the needles.

12. Apparatus for knitting pile fabric comprising, in combination, a rotatable needle cylinder; latch knitting needles mounted for independent movement longitudinally of said cylinder; relatively fixed cam means operable to move selected needles to predetermined positions; means for feeding a knitting yarn to the needles as they are moved to predetermined positions for engaging the book of selected needles with the knitting yarn to draw a loop thereof through a previous loop on the needle as the needle is moved to the castoff position; means operable to feed a loop pile yarn to a position adjacent said needles; a dial mounted on said cylinder and having radial slots in its upper surface; loop jacks slidably mounted in said slots; relatively fixed cam means operable to project and retract said jacks between selected needles in their predetermined positions to engage said loop pile yarn and draw the same between and substantially normal to the shanks of selected needles in the latch clearing position; said last-named cam means holding said jacks retracted to hold said pile loops taut as the needles are moved successively to the castofi position to anchor the pile loops to the backing fabric, and projecting said loop jacks to release the pile loops after the associated needles reach the castolf position.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12 in which each loop jack has a hook on its outer end engageable with the loop pile yarn.

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12 in which said last named cam means are adjustable to vary the length of the pile loops.

15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12 in which only selected jacks are projected to the loop yarn engaging position to draw loops.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 810,578 Steber Jan. 23, 1906 1,197,963 Stafiord et al. Sept. 12, 1916 1,801,167 McAdarns Apr. 14, 1931 

